 | |
| Company type | GmbH |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports equipment |
| Founded | 1923; 103 years ago (1923) |
| Founder | Georg Völkl |
| Headquarters | Straubing, Germany |
| Products | Skis,ski poles,ski skins Tennis racquets and accessories |
| Website | volkl.com (skis) volkltennis.com (tennis) |
Völkl (orVoelkl;German pronunciation:[fœlkl]) is aGermansports equipment brand, founded in 1923 inStraubing,Bavaria. The brand currently producesalpine skiing andtennis equipment and accessories.
Since 2017, the Völkl ski brand has been part ofBellevue, Washington-based Elevate Outdoor Collective, a snowsports company held by private equity firmKohlberg & Company.[1] Elevate's other brands includeMarker,Dalbello, and theK2 Sports group of brands.[2]
Völkl tennis racquets are produced by a separate company, Völkl Tennis, at a factory inBogen, Germany.
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In the 1910s, Franz Völkl began producing boats, sleds, and horse-drawn carriages under his name. His son Georg took over in 1923, producing the company's first skis. In the early 1950s, under Georg's leadership, the company became a leading European ski manufacturer.[3]
Jarden Action Sports at one time owned the Völkl and Marker brands. In 2007, Jarden acquiredK2 and LINE. Jarden was acquired byNewell in 2016. Newell sold Völkl and K2 toKohlberg & Company in 2017,[4] leading to the creation of Elevate Outdoor Collective.
Völkl producedsnowboards from 1997[5] until 2017.[6]
Current or recent Völkl ski racers includeKatharina Truppe,Markus Salcher,Adriana Jelinkova,Harry Laidlaw,Istok Rodes,Leona Popovic,Sam Maes,Sebastian Holzmann,Stefano Gross,Reece Howden, andStefan Luitz.[7]
Völkl tennis racquets were first produced in the early 1970s. Their Zebra racquet was one of the first to be made of composite materials, rather than wood.[8] Their racquets have been used by players such asBoris Becker,John McEnroe,Michael Stich,Sergi Bruguera,Petr Korda,Jana Novotna,Stefanie Vögele,Liezel Huber, andLaura Siegemund.
Since 1994, the company's signature model has been the V1 Classic.[3]
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